David Price believes he will remain with Rays

MINNEAPOLIS — LHP David Price doesn't even want to call it a gut feeling. But when pressed Monday on his best guess on what happens by the July 31 trade deadline, Price thinks he'll still be with the Rays.

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"I don't know where I'd go," he told the Tampa Bay Times. "Nobody wants to give up what the Rays want. … I'm sure once (the deadline) gets closer — there's still two more weeks of baseball — injuries could happen, something like that and somebody might eventually just do it. But I don't see the Rays caving in, I really don't. …They want something big. They want the James Shields-Will Myers trade again."

The possibility of a trade was a popular topic for Price during the All-Star media session.

The four-time All-Star joked that his favorite team to go to if dealt would be the Nashville Sounds — the Brewers' Triple-A team that plays near his hometown. He acknowledged that if sent packing there were some teams he "would love to go to" over others, but he wouldn't say which ones. He created a bit of stir in answering a question about what kind of team he would want to end up with by saying "Chicago would be hands down the coolest city to win a championship" because of the Cubs' extended title drought.

Inside story: The trade questions were nothing compared to the tough question Price got later from a rep from David Letterman's Late Show:

Did he ever, um, relieve himself while in uniform on the field?

Price's rather detailed answer: "Not by design, no. It's probably happened a time or two, but not full on."

Great Scott: After Price and the AL All-Stars were done talking, super agent Scott Boras was fielding questions. Boras, who previously has suggested the Rays franchise would be better off in Montreal, said he didn't think Price (who is represented by Bo McKinnis) would be dealt this month because teams are reluctant to give up big packages and the Rays will have a better time dealing him in the offseason.

Then, Boras added, "If the team was in Montreal, he wouldn't get traded."

No Jaking: AL/Boston manager John Farrell said Rays LHP Jake McGee (as well as ex-Rays RHP Wade Davis) was considered for a roster spot when Price became inactive, but he said the Mariners' Fernando Rodney, another former Ray, was a better choice. "I felt like the player that was already in place to take that roster spot was Fernando Rodney, who is leading the American League in saves," Farrell said.

Jeter-fest: The overriding theme tonight will be Yankees SS Derek Jeter's final All-Star appearance, and Farrell facilitated that by batting him leadoff. "We are able to celebrate a player who is not only a champion, but a guy that sets the bar that I think all players should aspire to. The way he has handled himself with class, with performance. No doubt a Hall of Famer," Farrell said. "This will be a day that I think many baseball fans that are either in the ballpark or watching will remember Derek's last All-Star Game."

Clipped in: Mitchell High product RHP Tyler Clippard of the Nationals scrambled to get here after being added to the NL roster Sunday and by tonight will have his parents, brother and girlfriend all up from the Tampa Bay area for his second All-Star appearance. "It was hectic, but it's nice to be here," he said. "I'm familiar with the circus that is the All-Star Game, but every time you come here it's a little bit different."

For starters: NL/St. Louis manager Mike Matheny's most interesting decision was in picking his own RHP Adam Wainwright to start ahead of Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw and admitting it was, in part, because he sees how much good Wainwright does on a daily basis. "The numbers line up, and it's obvious that this is a high-caliber pitcher who I believe to some degree has never even been given the amount of respect that he's due," Matheny said.